Molecular cloning of a novel putative potassium channel-blocking neurotoxin from the venom of the North African scorpion, Androctonus amoreuxi

Peptides. 2005 May;26(5):731-6. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2004.12.002. Epub 2005 Jan 11.

Abstract

Scorpion venoms are a particularly rich source of neurotoxic proteins/peptides that interact in a highly specific fashion with discrete subtypes of ion channels in excitable and non-excitable cells. Here we have employed a recently developed technique to effect molecular cloning and structural characterization of a novel putative potassium channel-blocking toxin from the same sample of venom from the North African scorpion, Androctonus amoreuxi. The deduced precursor open-reading frame is composed of 59 amino acid residues that consists of a signal peptide of approximately 22 amino acid residues followed by a mature toxin of 37 amino acid residues. The mature toxin contains two functionally important residues (Lys27 and Tyr36), constituting a functional dyad motif that may be critical for potassium channel-blocking activity that can be affirmed from structural homologs as occurring in the venoms from other species of Androctonus scorpions. Parallel proteomic/transcriptomic studies can thus be performed on the same scorpion venom sample without sacrifice of the donor animal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Insect Proteins
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neurotoxins / chemistry
  • Neurotoxins / genetics*
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Peptides / genetics*
  • Potassium Channel Blockers / chemistry*
  • Scorpion Venoms / chemistry
  • Scorpion Venoms / genetics*
  • Scorpions / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein

Substances

  • AamTX protein, Androctonus amoreuxi
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Insect Proteins
  • Neurotoxins
  • Peptides
  • Potassium Channel Blockers
  • Scorpion Venoms